Druze Continue to Ward off Northeast Al-Sweida from ISIS; Jordanian Army Crosses into Syria

The Druze Civil Defense Forces have refused to sit idly while the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) continue to push into the heart of the Al-Sweida Governorate; thus, leaving the civilian-led militias no choice but to combat the terrorist group around this mountainous province in Syria’s southern countryside.

On Friday morning, the Druze Civil Defense Forces – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Jaysh Al-Muwahiddeen (Druze Army) – attacked an ISIS gathering in the strategic village of Shaqa, killing as many as two dozen fighters from the terrorist group, while also destroying three armored vehicles that were mounted with 23mm anti-aircraft machine guns.

Further to north, the Druze Civil Defense Forces attacked the militants of ISIS at the hills of Tal Saad and Makab Al-Nifiyat in Tal Bashayna, resulting in the death of another nine militants from the terrorist group, including two Jordanians that were identified as Moussa ‘Abdel-Wasseem Al-Mustafa and ‘Ali Mohammad Al-Nour.

The Druze Civil Defense Forces were able to defeat the militants from ISIS at Tal Bashayna after a series of firefights that forced to take the offensive; this town in northeast Sweida is located 35 kilometers after from the provincial capital.

To the northwest, the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” – alongside Jaysh Al-Yarmouk – attacked the predominately Druze city of ‘Ara, where they were met with fierce resistance upon arrival.

Dara’a:

The Jordanian Army was caught crossing into Syria in order to collect the Free Syria Army’s casualties in western Dara’a; this was confirmed by the Syrian Arab Army’s Central Command.